the.outburst

Saturday, 19 March 2011

It’s a question I get asked a lot. I’m sure the same applies to millions upon millions of LFC fans who aren’t Scouse by birth. Football today is a global game and the most successful clubs all have a worldwide fan base. Marketing, media, sponsorship, the lure of the EPL all make it impossible to not be drawn in to English football like John Terry to his team mate’s wives!

So why do I support Liverpool? Like Antoine I didn’t wake up one day and decide to support LFC. I didn’t look at my mates’ collection of footy stickers and decide on the team with the best perms! Maybe being born in the ’80s and growing up abroad LFC were the team whose matches got shown on TV the most. Maybe I mistook the Liver Bird for the Thundercats logo! I really don’t know. All I remember is having heard and seen a lot of LFC over the years and being only 10 years old when my family moved to England, they were the only team whose players I could name. But surely that’s not enough reason to support a team?

So when people asked me who I support my answer was “I like Liverpool but I don’t really support anyone.” Please bear with me before throwing stones! I started watching English football with more interest. Liverpool, at the time being managed by the silver haired Roy Evans, was certainly one of the most pleasing teams to watch – attacking, passing football with somewhat of a care free defence. The mazy runs of McManaman, the passing skills of the now jar headed Jamie Redknapp, the calamity of David James, the wing play of Jason McAteer, the incredible passion and songs from the best fans in the world. You could hear You’ll Never Walk Alone as soon as the cameras cut to Anfield on match days. But the thing about LFC that attracted me most was a certain number 23.

Jamie Carragher was yet to don the shirt now synonymous with him. But another club legend – and I mean a true legend of mythical status – had the shirt before him. His amazing strike rate, his cheeky celebrations, his undeniable love for the club, the plaster he often wore on his considerable nose and a left peg touched by God himself. I would argue for hours with mates on the school playground about why he’s better than Alan Shearer, Ian Wright or Andy Cole. I always knew (unfortunately incorrectly) he’d become LFC’s all time top scorer.

Now every time I realise that I am a part of the best fans not only in football – but in sports full stop, I thank him for brining me into this family. The ups and downs, the heroes and villains, the unprecedented treble, the miracle of Istanbul, the joys in victory and the togetherness in defeat, the songs, walking through a storm, the legacy of the past and the hope for the future are just some of the reasons I support this club. So now when I tell people I support Liverpool FC and they ask why, I don’t tell them because Robbie ‘God’ Fowler was my favourite player. I ask them “Why would I support anyone else?

Friday, 11 December 2009

It appears due to the ongoing cash crisis at Everton, and their inability to fund a new stadium, the club have decided to auction of a piece of club history to raise funds. Tofees fans can now purchase the Everton trophy cabinet on eBay. Unfortunately it comes with no silverware but apparently does contain many morale victories. The bidding ends on 20th December 2009 so there's just enough time to put in an offer before Christmas.

Thursday, 10 December 2009

He may not be a household name, but Brazilian forward Grafite's goal for VfL Wolfsburg vs. Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga may well be the best goal you'll see this year. The briliant run, the sheer audacity of the finish, coupled by the comical slow motion haplesness of the last defender trying to clear off the line makes this a contender for FIFA's Goal of the Year 2009 award. Wolfsburg went on to win the match 5-1.

Wednesday, 9 December 2009

The prostitutes of Copenhagen, host city of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15), have decided on an unusual type of protest. They are offering “free sex” to the participants in response to pamphlets distributed by City Hall.

The pamphlets had messages like “Practice sustainability: don’t pay for sex” and were distributed in hotels, bars, and restaurants. In response the ladies of the night have decided to start this “promotion” which will last during the event (from December 7th to 18th). As payment, prostitutes will accept the City Hall pamphlets, as long as the "client" proves he (or she) is a participant of COP 15.

The protest is legitimate, since prostitution in Denmark has been legal since 1999.

Tuesday, 8 December 2009

It seems these days Arsenal have a striker shaped hole in their team and with Roman Pavlyuchenko's "career" at Spurs seemingly at a standstill, could he be about to do "The Sol Campbell Shuffle"? Let's face it, Arsene Wenger needs a striker to revive his side's faltering Premiership challenge and what are the odds against him preferring someone with Premiership experience?

Replace Hiddink with Wenger and you might see the future.

OK so Pavlyuchenko's limited number of minutes on the pitch can barely count as Premiership experience. Nonetheless he has already shown he can form a formidable partnership with Andrei Arshavin for the Russian national team during Euro 2008 and after being a flop at Tottenham he may feel he has a point to prove.

At least if Pavlyuchenko does make the short trip across North London he won't have to learn a new language. He can continue to flex with his brethren and greet blads by asking wot they're sayin innit. What are your thoughts Arsenal fans?

Monday, 7 December 2009

Like many of you I only watched the whole live draw to see Charlize Theron in action, but it wasn't a snorefest like these things usually are. That FIFA delegate cheekily managed to get a smooch of her to start with... let's face it, who would pass up that opportunity? From the look on Charlize Theron's face she wouldn't have minded one bit if Becks had a go himself.

England couldn't have hoped for a better draw with a group containing European minnows Slovenia, the unecessarily enthusiastic USA and the Dessert Foxes of Algeria (yes that is their actual nickname). Fabio Capello's description of England's group as "It's not so bad" must be the understatement of the century. Hopefully with a manager who won't be reffering to his players as Wazza, JT, Stevie G or Lampsy, we actually have a chance of getting past the 1/4 finals for once.

I understand FIFA want South Africa to do well to keep up the home support but isn't allowing them free entry when they clearly would have struggled to qualify enough? Seeding South Africa, the lowest ranked nation in the tournament, seems to make a mockery of the whole system. But ain't karma a bitch that they ended up drawing France?Of course there's always the 'Group of Death'. This time being Group G with Brazil, Portugal, North Korea and Ivory Coast. This certainly is a group of death - for North Korea. Expect them to get at least a 3-0 pasting from every other team in the group. Assuming Brazil get through as usual, 2nd place is up for grabs between Portugal and Ivory Coast meaning we'll be waving goodbye to one the two biggest tumblers in Europe - C-Ron or Drogba.